Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yotaffy’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yotaffy’, characterized by its uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; uniform flowering; decorative-type inflorescences that are about 3.3 cm in diameter; attractive golden yellow ray florets; numerous inflorescences per plant; and excellent garden performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andhereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Yotaffy.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivarshaving inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractivefloret colors and good garden performance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor inSalinas, Calif., in December, 1995, of the Dendranthema grandifloracultivar Ginger, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,403, as the female,or seed, parent with an unidentified proprietary seedling selection asthe male, or pollen, parent.

The cultivar Yotaffy was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Alva, Fla. in November, 1996. The selection of this plantwas based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floretcolor and excellent garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Alva, Fla. has shown that the unique featuresof this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yotaffy has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variationin environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity,without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yotaffy’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yotaffy’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Freely branching, dense, full plants.

3. Uniform flowering.

4. Decorative-type inflorescences that are about 3.3 cm in diameter.

5. Attractive golden yellow ray florets.

6. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

7. Excellent garden performance with the blooms lasting at least threeweeks.

Compared to plants of the parent cultivar, Ginger, plants of the newChrysanthemum flower more uniformly, are more flexible and lesssusceptible to breakage, and flower about 17 to 18 days later undernatural season conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the cultivar Viking,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,326. However in side-by-sidecomparisons under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffer from plants of the cultivar Viking in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching and denserthan plants of the cultivar Viking.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller leaves but more leavesthan plants of the cultivar Viking.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller inflorescences but aremore freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Viking.

4. Ray floret of plants of the new Chrysanthemum is lighter than rayfloret color of the cultivar Viking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which more accuratelydescribe the actual colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a top perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yotaffy’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yotaffy’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Pendleton, S.C., underconditions which approximate those generally used in commercial gardenChrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a 15-cmcontainer on Jul. 26, 1999 and plants were grown under natural seasonconditions. Plants were not pinched, that is, the terminal apex was notremoved to enhance branching. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages for typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Yotaffy.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Ginger, disclosed inU.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,403.

Male parent.—Unidentified proprietary seedling selection.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.—Seven to ten days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle; mounded plant form. Stems initially upright, thenoutwardly spreading giving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant.Freely branching with lateral branches potentially developing at everynode.

Plant height.—About 31 cm.

Plant spread.—About 38 cm.

Stems.—Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 4.7 cm.Width: About 3.8 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base: Truncate. Margin: Palmatelylobed, sinuses divergent. Texture: Upper surface sparsely pubescent;lower surface moderately pubescent. Veins prominent on lower surface.Petiole length: About 1.4 cm. Petiole diameter: About 3 mm. Color: Youngfoliage upper surface: 147A. Young foliage lower surface: 147B. Maturefoliage upper surface: 147A. Mature foliage lower surface: 147B.Venation upper surface: 147A to 147B. Venation lower surface: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with oblong-shaped rayflorets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising fromleaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.About 196 inflorescences per plant.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inthe autumn about 77 days after planting.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Color:Between 143A and 146A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.3 cm. Depth (height): About 1 cm.Diameter of disc: About 3 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Oblong, concave. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About3 mm. Apex: Minutely dentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous,satiny. Orientation: Initially upright, then perpendicular to thepeduncle. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 140. Color:When opening, upper surface: More intense than 12A. When opening, lowersurface: Slightly lighter than 12A. Opened inflorescence, upper surface:More intense than 12A. Opened inflorescence, lower surface: Close to11A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 5 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 22. Color: Immature: Close to 154A. Mature: Apex:14A. Mid-section: Light greenish white. Base: White.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 55° to the stem. Length: Firstpeduncle: About 6 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 8.6 cm. Diameter: About 2mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 14A. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 14A. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been shownto be resistant to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yotaffy’, as illustrated and described.